


Captured

by Pembrooke330



Category: Archie Comics, Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: AU, Captain - Freeform, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Hate, Jeronica, Kidnapped, Love, Princess - Freeform, Riverdale, Sex, Vughead, pirate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-07
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-07-03 03:47:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15810696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pembrooke330/pseuds/Pembrooke330
Summary: The story takes place in an alternate universe where Princess Veronica of Lodgonia has been captured by the notorious Captain Jones of Fort Riverdale.Being kidnapped and taken from her home by the pirate has given the princess nothing but complete disdain for the captain, no matter how handsome he may be.Even though his initial intent was to seek revenge on King Hiram by ending the life of his only daughter, Captain Jones is surprised to find that his particular princess is unlike any he has ever come across before.Will the two enemies find something beyond the contempt? Or will they be forced to make a deadly choice?





	1. Chapter 1

“Aye, Princess, are ye in need of any fresh water for ye evening soak?”

Princess Veronica of Lodgonia sat in her cramped quarters in the hull of the clipper ship she had been a passenger on for the past two weeks.

But calling herself a passenger was putting it nicely, realistically speaking, she was a prisoner. And yet she hadn’t even met her captor.

“Captain Jones will be wanting ye to look presentable when ye meet him once we make landfall.”

Veronica huffed angrily.

“I will _not_ be meeting your Captain. I refuse to allow my company among the likes of pirates.” Veronica replied to her one and only lady-in-waiting while on the ship.

She was a young, blonde hair, blue-eyed kitchen maid named Elizabeth Cooper.

The girl was sweet, and about Veronica’s age, which brought one of the only comforts Veronica had while she had been captured.

“But milady, he’s been expecting ye. It ain’t right to refuse to meet Captain Jones.”

Veronica walked over to the table next to her small cot and picked up the wrinkled photo of Prince Archibald that she had been kept with her ever since she had been captured.

She’d happened to grab it just as she was being carried away by the thuggish pirates that had taken hold of her and dragged her out of the comfort of her bedroom in the large tower of her father’s grand castle.

She was engaged to marry Archibald in just one month. But at that moment, she wasn’t sure if she would ever even see him again.

She silently hoped he was on his way to find her, along with her father and his whole entire army. If only they could find her before she was in the clutches of the man she was being taken to. The formidable Captain Jones that she had only ever heard rumors of.

Captain Forsythe Pendleton Jones the Third was the most fearsome pirate in the South Seas. He took what he wanted, pillaged and destroyed any port he set his sights upon. He was dangerous, unapologetic, and savvy in his pursuits.

Veronica had remembered the advisors who had come to speak with her father about the path Captain Jones had been taking lately.

“Lodgonia is on his course, King Hiram. You must leave before he arrives.”

But Veronica’s father had refused.

“Let him come! My army will be the one who shall do what no other army has been able to accomplish. We will hang Jones for all to see. And he will no longer terrorize our people and our capitals.”

The advisors had looked uneasy, and not totally convinced, but they were not about to argue with a man who was a king for a reason.

Veronica had believed her father completely. She’d had no doubt that he could defeat the notorious pirate.

But she had been wrong. And the reality of it had shaken her down to her soul.

The safe life she had lived throughout her 18 years, was no more.

And the anger she felt began to rise yet again, as it had done so many times over the past couple of weeks.

Maybe it was best she not refuse to meet the Captain who had sent his men to steal her away from the only home she had ever known. Maybe she would use this opportunity to give Captain Jones a piece of her mind.

“Fine, Elizabeth. I will take your advice and meet with this disgraceful man that you graciously take your orders from. It’s best he know that I am not afraid of him or his reasons for bringing me to whatever dreadful place this rickety ship is taking me to.”

Elizabeth smiled shyly.

“He’ll definitely find ye to be quite amusing, milady. And I believe you’ll like the look of our Captain. All the ladies of Fort Riverdale find him quite eye-catching.”

Veronica scoffed as she sat down to brush her long, silky, black hair.

“You know I am betrothed to marry a prince! What do I care of Captain Jones? Nothing! That’s what.”

But Elizabeth only continued to smile, as if she knew a secret that Veronica had yet to uncover.

“As ye wish, Miss Veronica.”

\---

“Captain Jones! The Violet Lady has arrived in the Riverdale port. We’re unloading the cargo now.” Doiley, the first mate, said as he entered the captain’s chambers in the large fort that Captain Jughead Jones had built on a small, uninhabited island just north of Bermuda.

It was the perfect place to hide away from the world. The almost constant fog that surrounded the island kept them completely shrouded and protected. But just past the murky mist was an island paradise. The young captain had known immediately that this would be the perfect place to call home when he wasn’t on The Violet Lady sailing the oceans around the globe.

“And the princess?” He asked as he looked over the map of Lodgonia, a flourishing kingdom tucked away in a quiet spot in the Atlantic.

Doiley smiled as he shook his head.

“Oh she’s arrived as well. And sir, she’s a spitfire, that one. You may regret having arranged her capture.”

Jughead traced his finger along the outside line of the map that indicated the wall around the castle of Lodgonia. He had finally accomplished the first step in his plan of revenge on King Hiram when he had ordered his daughter be seized and brought to Fort Riverdale. He felt triumphant that his men had managed to get past the infamous army that protected the small country’s nearly impenetrable fortress. But if anyone could do it, it was Captain Jones’s men. He had trained his sea Serpent army well, and they had succeeded.

And his next move would be to kill Princess Veronica, just as Hiram had killed Jughead’s sister, Forsythia Jones, only two years earlier.

“Bring her to me. I’d like her to hear the truth about her dear father and king. And to see the face of the man who will soon end her life.”

Doiley nodded before closing the large, oak chamber door behind him, leaving the pirate to ready himself for his guest of honor.

\---

“This way, milady.” The first mate of Captain Jones, known only as Doiley, said as he led Veronica down a long cooridor of the impressively large fort.

As much as she hated to admit it, Fort Riverdale was lovely with its sandstone structure of arches and towers and large palm trees littering the grounds.

Veronica had never seen anything like it before. It was such a strange place, but it was charming and quite enchanting. And she wondered how a pirate as murderous and sinister as Captain Jones could live amongst such beauty.

When she had heard the crew of The Violet Lady speak of Fort Riverdale, she had imagined a dark, twisty black iron castle surrounded by bats and wolves. Something straight from a frightening fairy tale.

She was impressed, to say the least. But there was no way she was going to let Captain Jones see just how much. She had named him as her sworn enemy, and she vowed to make him regret having stolen her from her home, her parents, her friends, and her prince.

Doiley rapped his knuckles on the large, ornate door with a snake carved deeply into the wood. She had heard the crew refer to themselves as Serpents. Now she understood why. That’s what their captain had named them.

Doiley didn’t wait for an answer, almost as if he knew that Captain Jones was expecting them.

“Cap’in, I present to you your most recent bounty. Princess Veronica of Lodgonia, captured by the South Sea Serpents of Fort Riverdale and brought to you on The Violet Lady, the most famous of ships in all the oceans.”

Veronica rolled her eyes as the lengthy introduction. These Serpents sure took themselves awfully seriously. She could just imagine the laughter of her courtesans when she told them all about her adventure being kidnapped by the most ridiculous pirate and his absurdly ragtag crew.

But as the Captain turned around to face his newest prisoner, her eyes widened. The old, gray haired, tanned and wrinkled face that she had imagined when she’d tried to picture Captain Jones, was not what stood before her.

Instead, her eyes met the crystal blue gaze of a young man, who was likely not much older than herself. He was tan, that part was accurate, but there was not a wrinkle, nor a gray hair, in sight. His hair was as black as the night sky and he towered at least 6 feet tall.

Elizabeth had been wrong. Captain Jones wasn’t just eye-catching, he was devastatingly handsome.

But Veronica forced herself to remember who this disgraceful pirate _really_ was.

"Princess Veronica. My name is Captain Jughead Jones the Third. I _would_ say it's a pleasure to meet you, but seeing as how your devil of a father killed my sister, I'm afraid there's little pleasure involved in our meeting."

Veronica immediately felt the need to defend her father. She knew he didn't always show mercy to his enemies, but he would never kill the sister of some ruthless pirate.

"King Hiram would _never_ do such a thing! It's just like a pirate to tell such lies."

But the captain shook his head, chuckling at her naiveté.

"He most certainly did, you spoiled child. And I will see that he pays a dear price for what he has done."

Veronica didn't want to be afraid, but suddenly, when she saw the anger and pain in the priate's eyes, she knew he was nothing but completely serious. He wanted to hurt her, _and_ her father. 

She did her best to gather her strength, to not let the pirate see her fear.

"Then you shall pay as well, for I will be avenged. My father, and my betrothed, will stalk the seas until they destroy you."

The captain leaned against the map table that he had been standing in front of when she had been brought into his chambers. He crossed his arms over his chest, smirking as she continued to verbally attack him.

"I am to marry Prince Archibald, and he will see to it that you receive a scoundrel's death if you lay one dirty pirate hand on me! They will hang you at dawn, and sing songs of merriment at how you met your end."

She knew her face was flushed, she could feel the heat in her cheeks without even touching them. But it wasn't just from her unrelenting tirade. It was also from the way that the captain was looking at her. His gaze was intense, and she knew there was a secret behind his eyes. 

And deep down, she wondered what his secrets might be.

 

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

Jughead watched from his captain’s perch as his sailors worked on patching up The Violet Lady before she would be taken out on her next voyage. He wanted to waste as little time as possible. He still had other places that he was determined to conquer.

“What I don’t understand is, why didn’t you just come and get me _yourself_ instead of sending your bumbling fools? Do you have no courage? No honor?”

Jughead sighed as Veronica of Lodgonia continued to question his bravery and skill.

“I do not have a habit of telling people that I plan to kill, why I conduct my business the way I do.”

Veronica was suddenly quiet, and he knew he had scared her once again with his threat to end her life.

“You’re not going to kill me.” She seethed quietly.

Jughead turned his head and scowled at her.

“And what on earth makes you believe I won’t?”

Veronica smirked at him, as if he was some kind of court jester.

“Because you would have done it already. Just admit it, Jones…you’re an enormous coward.”

Jughead shook his head.

“If you are trying to annoy me to death, it’s working. I think I’m going to jump.” He claimed as he stood up on the edge of the perch that rose at least 80 feet in the air.

Veronica watched him, rolling her eyes as if she didn’t believe him for one second.

But when he actually went through with it and jumped, he heard her shriek.

What she didn’t realize until she looked over the side was that he had grabbed the rope for the mast and swung down easily to the ship deck below.

“I _hate_ you Jughead Jones!” He heard her scream.

And he cackled with laughter at how he had tricked her and how it had actually scared her that he might have been about to die.

This was how it had been between them for the past few weeks ever since she had arrived at Fort Riverdale.

The constant battle of words, the glares, the need to get under each other’s skin until Veronica was slamming doors and Jughead was using his sword to destroy every bale of hay in the swine pens.

“Capt’n, do you think it be wise to be keeping the princess alive? She be causing a ruckus all over the fort.”

Jughead couldn’t help but laugh. Causing a ruckus was certainly true of the beautiful princess. She had been creating havoc everywhere she went, her own version of piracy, but no one seemed to be bothered with her. In truth, she had fit in quite well on the island, bringing a liveliness to it that undoubtedly always brought smiles to the faces of his crew and their families. For a girl who spoke often about wanting him to release her or he would soon face her father’s wrath, she didn’t seem as ready to leave as she wanted him to think she was.

“I keep her alive merely for my own amusement, Doiley. She might be boisterous and contemptuous, but she’s harmless.”

Doiley eyed the captain suspiciously.

“Aye, I believe maybe the captain be liking the lass too much to be killin’ her.”

Jughead shrugged.

“Maybe. But that’s my business, not yours.”

But Doiley chuckled.

“It’s about time ye be wanting to settle down, Capt’n. Maybe the princess be the one fer ye.”

Captain Jones didn’t reply, just waved Doiley away so that he could get back to his work.

But as much as he had tried to deny it, he found himself staring at the raven haired beauty far more often than he felt comfortable with.

She was vivacious and brave, only ever showing fear when he mentioned her possible death, and even then, she would glare at him and vow to haunt the halls of his fort forever if he made good on this threat.

He found himself feeling guilty, and guilt was something he rarely ever felt. But he knew that the princess missed her home, even though she seemed to finally believe Captain Jones after he had explained to her exactly what had happened that had led to his sister’s death by the king’s hand.

She was beyond disappointed in her father, having previously been in naïve belief that the man who had not only raised her, but ruled her country as well, was doing so with honor and dignity at all times.

Learning that her father had done his share of dishonorable deeds had been an eye-opener to a girl that had always lived such an innocent life.

Jughead had hurt for her when she had cried over the things he had told her about King Hiram.

“I’m sorry, princess. I should have used better judgement in telling you such awful tales.” He had said to her one evening when she’d joined him for dinner in his private dining hall.

But Princess Veronica shook her head and wiped her wet eyes.

“No, captain. I need to know. I don’t want to live with a veil over my eyes any longer. I want to know the truth of who my father really is.”

Jughead had sighed.

“And what about Prince Archibald? Would you like to know about him as well?”

Veronica had looked at him with wide eyes.

“My Archie? He’s not the good prince that I thought he was either?”

Jughead shook his head no.

“I’m sorry, Veronica. But I can’t have you marrying a man who is not worthy of you.”

The honesty in his words had caught him off guard. He hadn’t meant to say it. He hadn’t wanted her to know that he felt she was better than the men her heart loved.

Veronica had looked at him, her face softening.

“Are you telling me these things because you want me to see the good in _you_ , Captain Jones? To somehow discover that _you_ are the one worthy of me?”

It was as if she was seeing right through him. But he wasn’t ready to admit the truth about _himself_ to her.

“No, princess. I was only attempting to open your ignorant eyes to the truth. Don’t assume it means anything more with your childish notions of love. I’m a pirate captain. I don’t have any designs of thinking of you as anything more than a bounty.”

He had stormed off as he heard Veronica shout after him.

“You are a coward, Jones! A _coward_!”

She was right. He was a coward, but only when it came to her. He hadn’t gone with his men to kidnap her from his home on Lodgonia all because he couldn’t stand the thought of hearing her cry out for her father or her mother. To watch her struggle against him and his men as they dragged her away.

He wasn’t the same breed as his father, and his father’s father before him. He had kept the Captain Jones legacy alive, but he wasn’t made of the same stuff as the others. There was a tenderness to Captain Jughead Jones that he struggled to keep hidden, but it was there just beneath the steely surface.

Was it cowardice? He wasn’t sure. But not telling a girl that he was falling in love with her, no matter how much she was able to anger him, had to be the worst crime he could ever commit.

\---

Veronica couldn’t stop her eyes from wandering over to where Captain Jones was hammering away on the deck of his precious ship, The Violet Lady. Continuing to work on the repairs from its last voyage on the open seas.

He was shirtless, the sun glistening off his muscular, tanned back as he worked tirelessly. Every so often he stood up straight to run his hands through his dark hair, wet with sweat, before continuing his work.

Veronica felt a shudder through her whole body as she licked her lips and touched her neck. But she suddenly stopped, quickly realizing that he might catch her eyeing him, watching him lustfully, and wondering what it would be like to score his back with her nails under the moonlight of the enchanting island that had become more of a home to her than she had expected.

“Milady, are you quite alright?” Elizabeth asked with a teasing tone in her question.

Veronica cleared her throat.

“Uh…oh…yes…Elizabeth. It’s just…a little _hot_ out here today.”

Elizabeth chuckled lightly.

“It tis, but Captain Jones seems to be handling it just fine.”

Veronica looked over at the girl who had become the closest friend she’d ever had.

“I wasn’t watching him. I can’t _stand_ him.”

But Elizabeth only smiled as she continued to peel the potatoes with her small knife for that night’s fort dinner.

Veronica huffed angrily as she got up from where she had sat, helping Elizabeth to prepare the potatoes, and stomped off to the private cottage that the captain had allowed her to live in along the beach. Hearing the ocean waves licking the shore as she fell asleep at night was calming, and helped her to not miss her home so much. She was grateful to him for allowing her the freedom to make a home for herself in this strange, but gorgeous place. Even though she would never admit to him just how appreciative she really was.

She paced her room as she shed her gown, preferring to wear the unassuming sundress that Elizabeth’s mother, Alice, had made for her so she would be more comfortable when navigating the island.

She hadn’t yet pulled on the dress when she heard a knock on her cottage door. Before she could respond, Captain Jones had suddenly entered to find her with nothing on but her corset and bloomers.

“Princess! I’m sorry. I should have waited for your invite in!” He yelped, yet she could see the smirk on his lips, as if he was glad he had accidently caught her in between dressing.

Veronica found herself not the least bit embarrassed by the captain’s unexpected entrance. Instead, her body responded how it always did when she had imagined this very same scenario when she lay in her bed late at night.

“Don’t trouble yourself, Captain. I’m aware of how little you know in regards to the civilized ways of society.” She replied sharply.

Instead of running him off with his tail between his legs from shame at his faux paus, Captain Jones closed the door behind him and gazed at her so hotly that she could feel the sweat forming around her temples.

“Civilized society is overrated, and ridiculous. How can you live with so many rules? It’s not in our nature to temper our need to rebel.”

Veronica stared at him as he approached her, she could hardly catch her breath. Why did he have to be so handsome? Why did he have to excite her so much? Why did he have to be so dangerous and irresistible all at once?

She asked herself all of these questions, but it was his own question to her that she could actually answer.

“Do you ever rebel, Princess Veronica?” He asked as he brushed away a strand of her hair from her cheek.

Veronica nodded.

“Yes.”

Captain Jones grinned teasingly, as if he didn’t quite believe her.

“How?”

Veronica’s heart thundered in her chest, her body trembled, but she wasn’t going to back down.

She stood on her tiptoes and took the captain’s face in her hands.

“Like this.”

Veronica pressed her lips to Jughead’s, as his hands instantly threaded into her hair, their bodies against each other’s, creating a heat between them that was undeniable.

She’d never been kissed before but now she understood what all those romantic writers of poems and literature were speaking of when they wrote about the wonders of love and the feel of the one whose soul was intertwined with their own.

It was the most dizzying, wonderful, incredible sensation that she had ever felt in her life. And she knew immediately that she wanted more. She wanted the captain’s skin against hers, in her bed, giving her the pleasure that she knew that only he could give her.

“Veronica…” Jughead murmured against her yearning lips.

“What do you want?”

She knew what he was asking, and she didn’t hesitate to answer him with total honesty.

“I want _you_ , Captain Jones.”

 

To be continued…

 


	3. Chapter 3

Captain Jones was in the merriest of moods as he sat with his crew and their families at the dinner in the grand Fort Riverdale dining hall.

It was a feast for kings as they all dined on lobster, crab, and the most flavorful whitefish in all of the seas.

But it wasn’t the food and the rich wine that had him feeling as though he was sitting at the top of the world, it was the way Princess Veronica was watching him as he sat with the leading members of his Lady Violet sailing unit.

She was obviously tipsy from the wine and not the least bit timid in her obvious show of longing for him, and her attention was more intoxicating than the wine itself.

He sat with his men, barely listening to their drunken conversations as his gaze stayed glued to the woman who had captured his mind and heart, no matter how hard he had tried to fight it. The feeling was wonderful and painful all at once, but he was addicted to it already.

He had never been in love before. Only ever sharing his bed, but not his heart, with a steady flow of women that wanted nothing but to claim that they had bedded the famous pirate captain.

Veronica didn’t seem to care about that. She asked him things that he’d never been asked before. She wanted to know all about Forsythia, his sister who died at her father’s hand all because she had refused to be a palace concubine. Veronica wanted to know where he was from, how he became a pirate, what was it that he loved about the sea.

Granted, she asked these questions as if it were an interrogation, with grit in her voice, not wanting the captain to know what she was genuinely curious about him. Genuinely interested in learning all the about the man who had been holding her captive, but who had also captured her heart in the process.

He thought about the softened look on her face when she had found him playing a game of nine pins with a group of children that lived within the fort. How they had laughed with excitement whenever he lost to the youngest of the group. She had known he’d lost on purpose, and in a rare moment, she had smiled at him so sweetly that it had made his heart race.

He thought about the way she would watch him while he discussed tactics and strategies for the next voyage, unaware of the look of amazement on her face when he spoke to his crew about how they might overcome the obstacles and enemies that might come their way. She watched in wide eyed amazement when he spoke of past experiences on the sea and how they had lived through the most dangerous of situations. He liked impressing her, astonishing her, and he wanted her to know the danger he was willing to go through in order to fight for what he believed in.

And then he thought about the way she would look at him when he was working on the Violet Lady. Her piercing gaze made him nervous, but excited. He’d had women look at him that way before, many times. But something about Veronica looking at him like that affected him in a way that no other woman had been able to affect him before.

He should have anticipated that this would happen all along. For word of Princess Veronica’s beauty, intellect, and headstrong tendencies had traveled far and wide. But Jughead had never had any intention of falling for a girl that he had thought to be spoiled and intolerant, who had lived a life of luxury while he had lived a life full of hard work but little opportunity.

But he had been wrong. He had been just as vexed by this woman as all the other men that crossed her path. Captain Jones was no exception.

The wine continued to flow as the music and dancing began. Jughead had taken a whirl with several of the lovely daughters of his crewmen, but his eyes had barely left Veronica.

She had fit into his world so easily, no matter how much she stood out. She laughed with his people, danced with them, ate with them. She could tell a joke and drink from the bottle with ease, just like everyone else.

He was certain that she missed her home, her parents, her friends, but she had changed so much in the past month. It was as if the tension she had worn like armor, when she’d first arrived, had melted away as the weeks had gone on. And Jughead selfishly wanted her to never leave. Especially once he told her she was free to go. That he wasn’t going to keep her a prisoner any longer, and he certainly wasn’t going to kill her.

“Captain.”

Jughead was forced from his thoughts by the sound of Veronica’s sultry voice as she approached him.

“Princess.” He replied as he bowed to her.

Veronica gazed at him seductively.

“Put down your cup, say your good evening’s, and meet me in your quarters.”

Jughead felt his heart nearly stop at her words. And he wasted no time doing as she commanded.

\---

Veronica had never felt so bold in all her life, and she had always been the bold sort.

But Captain Jones brought out a whole new level of audaciousness she didn’t even know she had in her.

She had been watching him all night, her body unable to stop feeling all sorts of sensations she had never felt before until the moment she had kissed him.

Kissing was out of character for her, especially since she had never kissed someone before, but she had wanted him to know that she wasn’t afraid of him anymore, in any possible way. That she would _never_ be afraid of him. That she didn’t believe he’d ever harm her. At least, she hoped he wouldn’t.

She had wanted to know how he would react to her kissing him, and he’d reacted just how she had hoped. He wanted her just as much as she wanted him, and she knew it would change everything.

As much as she wanted to hate him, hating Captain Jones was becoming increasingly impossible. He still managed to make her angrier than anyone ever had, but there was something in his eyes, in the way he looked at her that challenged her. He expected her to back down, to back away, to want nothing to do with him. But she refused to let him win that battle.

He was brave, no matter how often she called him a coward. He was in control, he was strong, but there was also a kindness and a tenderness about him that she had seen in him whenever he was talking to his crew or playing with the children of the fort. He helped everyone that lived under his leadership, he cared for them, and he made his care for them clear in all the ways he rewarded them for their loyalty.

Veronica found herself wanting to live in the light he cast on the people he seemed to cherish. She wanted to be valuable to him, not as a bounty, but as much more. And she wasn't going to waste any more time making that happen.

Her heart fluttered in her chest wildly as she stood in the middle of Captain Jones private living quarters. And she couldn’t stop her eyes from wandering over to the mahoghany, four poster bed. The indigo blankets laying in wavy heaps, as if he not only sailed the ocean but slept in it as well.

After what felt like hours, the captain entered through the heavy, oak door and closed it behind him.

“Was there some urgent matter you wanted to discuss with me, Princess Veronica?” He asked nonchalantly as he strode over to the map table and ran a finger over one of the unrolled scrolls.

Veronica took a deep breath.

“Captain Jones, do you plan to kill me or not?” She asked pointedly, with a tone that demanded a straight answer.

She watched as his lips curled into a smirk.

“Afraid of dying a virgin, princess? I thought we already discussed you wanting me. You _know_ I want you just as much.”

Veronica crossed her arms angrily.

“Then how come you haven’t spoken to me all evening? You know I wanted you to.”

Jughead sighed.

“Veronica…I can’t let them all see what you have come to mean to me. They still think I plan on avenging my sister by killing you. And no...I’m not going to kill you. Because…killing you would kill me too.” 

He turned towards the crackling fire in the stone fireplace. He stared at the flames and Veronica could tell that he was conflicted with something, but she wasn’t sure what it could be, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

But relief washed over her knowing that he was going to keep her alive, now it was just a question of when he would let her go home. If she would even _want_ to go home after tonight.

“How many women have you…” She wasn’t sure how to ask the question, but she was beyond ready to change the subject from whatever it was that was haunting the captain.

The way her voice had trailed off had brought the captain out of his somber musings as his blue eyes flicked up and met hers.

“Why does it matter?” He asked, amused by her curiosity.

Veronica swallowed hard.

“What if you…what if you are not…pleased…with me…”

Captain Jones gave her the slyest of grins.

“Oh, my beautiful girl, that is _not_ a possibility. I will be quite pleased with you, and you’ll be just as pleased with me.”

Veronica’s heart jumped, and she knew that what he told her was the truth. She couldn’t imagine that the captain wouldn’t give her the most wonderful of pleasures in that dark, blue bed of his.

The anticipation was palpable as Jughead approached her, pulling his shirt off over his head as he got closer.

And then he was standing before her, his eyes raking over her exposed shoulders in the peasant dress she had worn.

His blue eyes looked into hers as he took her by her wrists and placed her hands on his bare, muscular chest. She could feel the rapid beat of his heart just beneath his smooth, tanned skin. She wondered how many times he had done this. How many other women he had been with. Had he ever been with a virgin before? Would she be the first? She was anxious and terrified but desperate to have his naked body against her own. She had no doubt in her mind that Captain Jones was going to do things to her that she had never even known anything about.

“I’ll be gentle with you, princess. I promise. Any pain you might feel, I’ll kiss it away. You will not forget this night…because I will make sure you never do.”

He kissed her then, and it was different this time. There was an earnestness, a need, almost a feeling that life itself would cease to matter if this night didn’t happen for the two of them.

A feeling of destiny stirred in the air around them. Veronica wondered if Jughead felt it too.

It wasn’t long before she was laying on her back, against his soft linens, her hair fanned out over the feather pillows. The captain was kissing her everywhere, not missing one square inch of her burning skin.

“Oh…” She had murmured when his fingers had suddenly disappeared inside of her, but then she was closing her eyes, mewing uncontrollably from how he was touching her.

And he watched her with that smirk on his face, that confident grin that made her so crazy for him that she felt a rush of warmth in her core and an eruption within her that was so dizzying that she could feel the tears running down her cheeks.

“Oh…God…” She sighed only seconds before Jughead’s mouth was on her mouth, his tongue seizing hers in a wicked dance that overpowered her to the point where she was grabbing his hips, wanting to guide him into her, wanting to feel the power of what he had between his legs. That massive length that she knew would change her life forever.

“You ready for me, princess?”

Veronica couldn’t say anything, too overcome by the tears and the sweat and how her body shook from the way Jughead ravaged her to the point where she would be happy to stay in his bed forever if he’d allow her to.

He didn’t wait for an answer as he ran the head of his erection along her slick folds in agonizingly slow strokes.

And then he was guiding himself into her, painfully slow, but as he stretched out the walls of her sex, filling her, the pain was like a shock wave, traveling through her veins to the tips of her fingers and toes. Her first instinct was to push him away, and yet, she wanted to feel every single inch of him to the hilt.

“Mmmm…oh…” She whimpered, wincing as he continued to spear her core, doing so as carefully as he possibly could, his body shaking as he went.

“Oh hell…Veronica…I…I’m trying to not end this before it’s begun...but…you feel _incredible_.” Jughead moaned, his eyes closed as he concentrated on not allowing his own climax before he’d given one to her.

He buried his face in her neck, giving one, last forceful shove into her, finally breaking all the way through.

Veronica yelped from the pain, but almost immediately after, her whole body seemed to change as it gave into how he was now busily thrusting in and out of her in a rhythm that was eliciting nothing but excited cries and moans from her lips.

“Oh, Jug…” She panted as Jughead rocked his body on top of hers, his mouth against her ear, his breath hot with lust.

“Are you okay?” He murmured as his hand grabbed the back of her thigh, lifting it up so he could go deeper.

Veronica replied by grabbing his bottom, pushing him into her.

“Lovely…” He grunted, his voice thick with passion.

Veronica smiled to herself as Jughead palmed her breast, rubbing circles over the hardened tip. She had touched herself in that very same way before, but it hadn’t compared to this. Captain Jones was everything she had dreamed about when she’d thought about her first time with a man. From the way he touched her, to the way he looked at her. This was how it had been meant to be, and she didn’t think she’d ever want to go home again.

 

To be continued…

 


	4. Chapter 4

Veronica lay tangled in the sheets of Captain’s Jones bed, the fire still crackling in the fireplace, the room still dark, her body aching in places she didn’t expect to ache after the way the captain had ravaged her for hours, unrelenting in his passion for her each and every time their bodies came together.

She was blissfully sated, happy, and her body already wanting more of his skin on hers.

She looked over at where he slept, the savage animal he had been just an hour before was now quiet and breathing deeply, his eyes closed, his perfect lips begging to be kissed.

Her heart fluttered, a combination of happiness and fear. He drove her crazy when they quarreled with each other, but she still was so in love with him. It was maddening, heartbreaking, but beyond exhilarating.

He made her feel alive.

“You should sleep, Princess.” He murmured softly, his eyes still closed.

Veronica chuckled.

“So should _you_ , Captain.”

Jughead smiled lazily.

“Sleep is a luxury I’m barely able to afford.” He replied as he opened one eye before pulling her to him.

Veronica didn’t want to be so taken by him, but she could barely help it. He had taken every part of her, and she had given it all to him more willingly than she wanted to admit.

“Tell me, do you enjoy being in my bed?” Jughead asked as he peppered kisses on her bare shoulder and collarbone.

“It’s heaven on earth, Jones.” She sighed dreamily, unable to lie and tell him otherwise.

Jughead chuckled, the vibration sending a shiver down to her aching core. She wanted him again, and she used her hand on his throbbing erection to let him know it.

But just then, there was a loud bang on the door of Jughead’s quarters.

Veronica yelped from the unexpected noise so late in the night.

But Captain Jones immediately jumped up, wrapping himself in one of the blankets as he rushed for the door.

“Cap’in! There’s some clippers coming in from the south end of the island! They look to be royal ships approaching. And quite quickly!” Came the panicked voice of Doiley.

Veronica heard Jughead curse as he ran a hand through his hair.

“Get every man ready, Doiley. We’re not giving her up without a good fight.”

The captain closed the door and began to pull on his clothes.

“What’s happening, Jughead?” Veronica asked as she sat up in the bed, watching how frantically Jughead was getting ready.

Jughead looked up at her briefly, a painful expression on his face.

“Looks like your father has come to take you home.”

Veronica felt her heart sink at his words. As much as she missed her family, she hadn’t thought much about going home, back to her old way of life. Not after she had come to love this wonderful home Captain Jones had built, and not after she had come to love the man who had built it.

“You’ll fight him?” She asked, feeling a mixture of emotions at the thought.

Jughead nodded.

“Aye. And it might not be too pretty. I won’t give you up that easily, Veronica. Your father took away something precious from me, I’m not inclined to give back something that is equally as precious to him.”

Veronica got up from the bed, still naked from their lovemaking.

She took Jughead’s face in her hands.

“I don’t want to leave, so you don’t have to fight. I’ll tell my father so myself. I want to stay with you, Jughead…I love you.”

Jughead sighed.

“It’s not that easy, Veronica.”

The sorrow in his voice was gut wrenching, but Veronica refused to give into it. Someone would have to look on the brighter side for both of them, and that someone would be her.

“I’ll _make_ it easy.” She replied, determined.

She pressed her lips to his, but another bang on the door interrupted them.

“Captain Jones! We must go!” Came the muffled voice of another crew member.

Jughead gazed at Veronica briefly before grabbing his sword leaning by the door and quickly retreating, not looking back as he went.

Veronica bit her lip nervously. She tried to think of the first thing she should do, she had to get her thoughts together.

She quickly found her dress and slipped it back on. She would go find her father, she would tell him what she had just told Jughead. She wouldn’t allow Hiram, nor Jughead, to have a say in what she decided to do with her life.

\---

Jughead ran through the inner walls of his fort, calling out for everyone within it to prepare for attack. To board up windows and seal doorways. They had to make their home as stable as possible for the onslaught they were likely about to face.

“If you had just _killed_ the girl, we might not be under attack right now.” He mumbled to himself as he made his way to the south end battle station of the fort.

But it had been no use. Killing Veronica hadn’t been an option once he’d allowed her to seep into his veins with her beauty, her grit, and the unusual way about her that had spellbound him completely.

 _He_ might have been the one to capture her from everything she had known, but _she_ was the one who had done the true capturing. She had captured him completely, in every way she could.

Even with the contention, and the arguments between them, Jughead Jones the third was madly in love with her. And Veronica was in love with him too.

When Veronica had spoken the words to him, he hadn’t wanted to believe it. He couldn’t understand it. How could she feel that way about him? But he knew it was best not to question it. Veronica wouldn’t allow for it.

But saying the words back to her would have been unfair when he knew she would be leaving in a matter of hours.

King Hiram had come to Fort Riverdale to get his daughter back, and he would surely do his best to conquer the pirate and his humble crew.

Jughead stood at the top of his fort. The canons were ready, and he shouted for the canon runners to fire a warning shot into the blackness of the night, with only the full moon above providing enough light to see the silhouettes of the large, royal Lodgonia ships making their way closer to the shores of Captain Jones’s home.

He was ready to fight, no matter what might happen.

\---

Veronica rowed out as quickly as she could to her father’s ship, praying that the cannonballs whizzing over her head wouldn’t take out the tiny, wooden rowboat she had managed to commandeer from the small port on the south end of the island.

She would do whatever she had to do to ensure that the battle would cease as soon as she explained to her father that she was happy living among the people of Fort Riverdale, that maybe she could do some good by being outside in the world, traveling with Jughead and his crew, to end any fighting and bring a peace among the kingdom’s throughout the seas. And in turn, giving a good name to the kingdom of Lodgonia.

She knew her father wouldn’t be easily swayed, but he had always seemed like a reasonable father and king. And maybe if she told him how she felt about the pirate captain, if he saw the love in her eyes when she spoke of him, then her father would understand how vital it was that she stay behind.

Veronica was aware that she might be naïve in thinking her father would agree to her desires, but she would do anything she could to stop him from destroying Jughead’s home. Fort Riverdale was beautiful and magical, and had become a special place to her. And not just because it had been built by the man she loved, but because the people had made her feel as though she mattered to them, that she belonged.

In Lodgonia, she had always been sequestered away in the palace, her father keeping her protected and sheltered away from the people of their country.

It had been isolating and lonely. She’d had the best education and the most beautiful gowns, but it didn’t even matter when she wasn’t able to socialize with anyone other than her ladies-in-waiting and her family.

As frightened as she had been when she had been snatched from everything she’d ever known, there had been excitement in her capture. Excitement knowing that she was seeing a world she had only ever read about. She was meeting people she had never known existed. And she had fallen for a man who had brought her such a passionate pleasure that she’d only ever dreamed of.

“Who approaches?” A voice boomed as she drifted closer to her father’s ship.

“It is Princess Veronica of Lodgonia! I have come to speak to my father!”

\---

Captain Jones stood on the stone wall of the Fort, watching as his own ships began to form a blockade in the south port of the island.

But things were strangely quiet.

“What you suppose he be doing?” One of the cannon runners asked Jughead as he waited for further instructions from the perplexed captain.

Jughead took out his periscope and checked the port, but from what he could see on the moonlit waters, there were no men on tenders beginning to approach from the large ships that scattered the ocean waters near the island.

“Damn it…” Jughead sighed, realizing why there had been a cease of further conflict with the royal crew of Lodgonia.

“The Princess. She’s on her father’s ship.”

He should have known she would do something so impulsive, she was just like him, headstrong and full of passion for what she believed in.

Jughead ran as fast as he could to the port.

“Captain! Where ye going?” He heard Doiley shout as Jughead grabbed a rowboat and jumped in, grabbing the oars and paddling out as fast as he could. He had to reach that ship before Veronica was gone forever. He had to be able to say goodbye to the only love he'd ever known.

 

To be continued…

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

King Hiram was standing at the ready, having been alerted to Veronica’s arrival once she had been retrieved from the small rowboat she had been found in.

“How dare a princess be in such a ghastly situation!” He snapped at a member of his navy council as Veronica was being brought into the room to be reunited with her father.

She bowed quickly before running into his open arms.

“My daughter, I do not understand. Why were they firing canons in preparation for battle if they had let you go?”

Veronica shook her head.

“They didn’t let me go. I left. I came to talk to you, father. To tell you that…that I want to stay here.”

King Hiram stared at his daughter, as if wondering if her time away from home had somehow caused her to go completely insane.

“My dear…we’ve come to take you home. Your kingdom needs you.”

Veronica shook her head.

“You don’t understand, I…I feel as though I belong here, father. I feel as though I can do great things, for not only _our_ country but everyone, if I stay. I can only imagine what you have gone through to find me and I know you and mother want me back in Lodgonia. But…I just can’t leave Fort Riverdale.”

Veronica watched as her father let out a long sigh and began to pace the room, clearly frustrated.

“You’ve gone mad.” He finally spoke, obviously concerned and unsure of how he was going to handle keeping her apparent illness a secret from his people once she was back home.

But Veronica didn’t let up, and she knew she had no other choice than to tell her father the whole truth.

“Father…I’m not mad…I’m not crazy…I…I’m in love. Which, in itself, is it's _own_ sort of crazy, of course. But not the kind that has made me forget who I am or where I come from.”

King Hiram turned to stare at his daughter, a look of disbelief on his face.

“In love? With who? You are promised to Prince Archibald.”

Veronica took a deep breath.

“I’m in love with Captain Jones and I no longer wish to marry the prince. I am going to stay in Fort Riverdale. This is my _true_ home now, and I refuse to return with you.”

\---

Jughead wasn’t surprised when the crew members of King Hiram’s ship pulled him aboard, fully enraged and ready to hang him by his neck for having stolen their princess, but Jughead immediately asked for parler and was taken directly to the king.

“So _you’re_ the infamous Captain Jones? The Thief of the Seas. The Pirate Prince. _First_ you steal my daughter, _then_ you somehow trick her into thinking she’s in love with you. I could, and should, have you beaten and slaughtered for your crimes.”

Jughead glared at the man who was his one and only true mortal enemy.

“Hang me if you so wish, but your daughter will avenge me. And she’ll _never_ forgive you.”

Jughead watched as the king’s hands formed into fists.

“What are you doing here, Jones? You know I won’t hand over my daughter to you without a fight. I will destroy your fort, and your island, regardless of how the princess might feel about it.” He seethed as he stared at the pirate with utter hate in his eyes.

Jughead shook his head, smirking.

“I could kill you right now and there’s nothing you, nor the men outside your door could do about it. But I wouldn’t do that, because it would hurt Veronica. And I love your daughter. I love her more than anything in this vicious world. I even love her more than letting her stay here on my island. And yes, I could fight you easily so that she could live among me and my people for as long as she wants. But I know she needs to return to her people. I know she needs to spread the word of all the wrongs that my crew and I have been sailing the seas to make right. All I ask of you, king, is to let me say goodbye to the princess. To let me make her understand why she cannot stay.”

King Hiram watched him closely, wondering if what Jughead was saying was the truth or some sort of pirate trick. But if there was one thing he knew about Captain Jones, it was that he never minced words.

“I thought my daughter had lost her clear mind, so she was given something to help her rest. She is in her quarters. You will be given an opportunity to speak with her, but I will have every armed man on this ship surrounding her room and the ship decks. If you so dare to try _anything_ , I will kill you both.”

Jughead didn’t want to believe that King Hiram was willing to have his own daughter murdered just so he wouldn’t try to steal her from him again, but that was just the sort of thing that he needed to warn Veronica about. She needed to know the truth.

\---

Veronica was tired, but she couldn’t allow herself to sleep, not until she figured out a way to get back to Jughead.

She had unknowingly drank something her father had offered to her, not knowing that she would feel so weak, unable to row back to the fort to tell Jughead that she would be staying with him after all.

Unfortunately, her father made sure she was sequestered, her room guarded. She hadn’t expected that her father could be so callous as to not allow her to live her life the way she wanted. She knew she was a princess, she knew Queen Hermione missed her dearly, she knew her kingdom had been worried about her, likely thinking she was dead. But regardless, she wanted to stay. She wanted to be with her captain. But now, she didn’t know if she would ever see him again.

That was until the door to her quarters suddenly opened and Jughead was pushed inside.

“You have five minutes, _pirate_.” One of the crew members spat before slamming the door shut behind him.

“Jughead!” She exclaimed, her heart pounding furiously as she attempted to sit up on her bed.

But Jughead quickly rushed over to her and sat down beside her.

“Don’t try to get up, princess. Your father gave you a sedative and I don’t have much time.”

Veronica nodded weakly.

“How are we going to escape? Is the crew in the waters? Have they surrounded the ship? Will they attack so we can flee?” The slew of questions tumbled out of her mouth in a flood.

She never would have thought that she would need saving from her own father, but this was her new reality now.

“Veronica...I'm sorry...but you _must_ go back to Lodgonia. I can’t let you stay here.”

Veronica gazed at him, entranced with the blue of his eyes as always, but she didn't understand why he wasn't taking her with him.

“What? Why?”

Jughead sighed.

“Because, it’s time I tell you the truth about your father. And then, you need to go back and tell anyone who will listen. You need to tell all the kingdoms what he had done.”

Veronica listened as Jughead told her story after story of the atrocities her father had committed as king. She hated every word he spoke, but she knew he was telling her the truth, and all because he had waited until this moment, when she was being taken back to her home, to tell her everything. Of all the times she had asked him for him to be honest with her, he’d always denied her. But now, she would be able to use every single crime that Jughead had told her about, to end her father’s reign of horror over innocent people.

“Veronica, your father killed my sister because she refused to be made a courtesan for Prince Archibald. The prince had seen Forsythia when she had been sailing with an export ship, and wanted to marry her. Forsythia refused, and the only way Archibald would agree to marry you was if he could have Forsythia as a mistress. When she told your father that she would rather die than be with the prince in any way, the king had her murdered.”

Veronica gasped, finally understanding why Jughead had captured her from Lodgonia, why he had threatened to take her life. She had never known the details of why her father had killed Jughead’s sister, always wondering if Jughead had gotten it all wrong. But now she knew the full truth, and she was completely stunned and distraught by it. It wasn't fair, and she knew she could never forget what her own father had done.

“Jughead…I’m sorry. I am _so_ _sorry_ for what my father has done. I will _never_ forgive him.” She said as she wiped the tears that were falling down her cheeks.

Jughead took her in his arms, holding her close, his forehead pressed to hers.

“I love you, Veronica. I love you more than my own life. Letting you go is the last thing I want to do…but…I have to…for the greater good of the world. And once the kingdoms of the sea vow to overthrow King Hiram, I will come for you again. I will come for you _myself_.”

Veronica felt as if someone was mercilessly squeezing her heart with an iron fist, the pain too real to believe. Leaving Jughead would be the hardest thing she would ever have to do.

“I will leave with my father, but only if he agrees to leave peacefully. To let Fort Riverdale stand.”

Jughead nodded.

“He will agree to it. As long as I agree to let him leave without any further conflict.”

Veronica couldn’t stop the fresh set of tears that streamed down face.

“Swear to me now that you _will_  indeed come for me. That you will bring me back here. Promise to never love another woman until I am back in your bed again.”

Jughead smiled softly, kissing her long and deep before responding.

“I promise you, princess. And when I see you again, I will make you my wife, if you will still have me.”

Veronica smiled through her sobs, thoughts of living as the great pirate captain’s wife sent a warm rush throughout her whole body.

“I will have you now, when you return to me, and forever after that.” She said, giving him one last kiss as the door to her quarters swung open.

Her father’s guards entered, ready to escort Jughead back to his waiting boat.

“I will see you soon, my love.” He said as he allowed himself to be seized and hauled out of her quarters.

“Until we meet again, my beloved pirate.” She called after him.

“Until we meet again.”

 

The End.

 


End file.
